anyway, last month republican senator marco rubio punted on the question of how old the earth is, calling it a great mystery. it's not a mystery it's what the potential presidential candidate for 2016 was playing to the large number of evangelicals who believe in the literal truth of the bible. fast forward to today where rubio was given a retake on that pop question by politico's michael len. >> there is no scientific debate on the age of the earth. it's established pretty definitively. at least 4.5 billion years old. i was referring to a theological debate, which is a pretty healthy debate. >> rubio went on to say americans should teach children science but they also have the right to teach them religion. that's interesting. senator, you can't teach religion in public schools. by the way, think about it, what religion would you teach in public schools? we'll be right back. >>> welcome back to "hardball." what is the washington gridlock on fiscal negotiations look like to the rest of the world, particularly europe where eurozone are taking drastic budget cuts and austerity measures that